Marchionne mulls Maserati electric sports car as Tesla competitor

Maserati could get an electric version of the Alfieri sports car. Pictured is the Alfieri concept.

MILAN (Bloomberg) -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne is considering adding full electric vehicles to the carmaker's line-up including the Maserati Alfieri sports car and a small city car for Fiat.

"I've always thought the economic model that supports Tesla is something that Fiat Chrysler could replicate as we have the brand and the vehicles to do it," Marchionne told Bloomberg Television. "I think that to use one of our potential cars as an experiment in this area is interesting."

Maserati, which showed an Alfieri concept at the Geneva car show in 2014, doesn't plan to introduce a full electric version of the model before the end of the company's five-year plan which ends in 2018.

Marchionne, who turned 64 Friday, said the electric Alfieri isn't scheduled until after he retires as CEO of Fiat Chrysler in 2019.

"I'm not as convinced as some others are about the fact that electrification is the solution for all of man's ills," said Marchionne. "We need to experiment as we are doing now with connected cars and mobility as electrification is one of the potential answers.

EV for Europe

Fiat is considering producing an electric city car for the European market, which would be the first electric model sold in the region, he said.

Fiat currently sells an electric version of its 500 subcompact only in its North American market. Marchionne said in 2014 that the carmaker was losing at least $10,000 on every 500e it sells to comply with California emission rules.

Marchionne also said the carmaker will introduce more hybrid vehicles, including a hybrid version of the Maserati Levante SUV. He expects carmakers to offer hybrid versions on most models to meet emission targets by 2021.

Fiat Chrysler's expansion into the electric car business would follow Volkswagen Group's plans to accelerate efforts to adapt to the industry's shift toward self-driving electric vehicles. Earlier this month, Volkswagen mapped out a sweeping strategy overhaul focused on electric cars, automated driving and services such as ride-hailing in an effort to emerge from the diesel-cheating scandal that's weighed on the company for months.